


one chapter closes, another one opens

by galaxytaos



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Break Up, Fic Exchange, M/M, Non-existent Plot, What's a Storyline, sorry about this mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:04:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7631794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxytaos/pseuds/galaxytaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wen Junhui goes through a breakup and copes by unloading his emotional baggage onto studious library user, Jeon Wonwoo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	one chapter closes, another one opens

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



There comes a time in some relationships where both partners realise that they're just not working anymore. This is one of them.

The summer heat is humid, stifling, like the air between Junhui and Joshua. Outside, storm clouds are rolling in, and there's the stirrings of vague rumbles of thunder. Inside, the two of them are sitting on the couch, but the half a metre of space between them might as well be a whole kilometre.

Neither of them know how it came to this, but they know there's no more spark anymore. Their relationship is awkward, almost stifling. It's the first time they've had a "date" in a while, sitting in front of the television, channel surfing, until they settle on some crappy low budget movie to watch, and they snuggle into each other's warmth, fingers threaded together. It used to be good enough.

But now, they're only sneaked glances at each other and words like "that's alright, you can pick this time". It's like they're back to the beginning of their relationship, when Junhui complained that Joshua let him push him around too much, and when Joshua smiled, eyes crinkling, "I'll work on that".

When they finally decide on a movie, Junhui peers at the space between them. Before, if they'd ever left that much space between themselves, one of them would either scoot over to one end of the couch to join the other, or they'd hold hands.

Junhui extends a hand cautiously to the middle of the space, palm facing upwards in an invitation. Joshua notices and reaches out, sliding his hand into Junhui's. The feeling is more foreign than familiar now. How did they ever let it come to this?

"Three weeks," Joshua murmurs ten minutes into the movie. Junhui starts out of his thoughts; he'd been pondering the exact same question. "Three weeks since we've held hands," he continues. Joshua's right. And probably even longer since their last date.

"It's not gonna work out," Junhui suddenly blurts out, sounding a little desperate as he voices the conclusion he's literally just come to. "We don't even talk to each other anymore. Joshua, I think — "

There's a lump in his throat. As much as he knows it's true, it's hard to admit it, to get the words out.

"I think we should break up," he finishes. For a moment, Joshua is silent, and Junhui wonders if he said the wrong thing. Maybe he should have warned Joshua first, maybe he should have said it differently, maybe he should have given it more thought, but Joshua opens his mouth to speak.

"I think we should too," he agrees, looking at Junhui in the eye properly for the first time. There's an expression on his face that probably mirrors Junhui's, a mixture of sadness, regret, acceptance.

They spend the rest of the movie mostly in silent contemplation about what it'll mean for the both of them, interrupting the quiet drone of whatever scene is playing every few minutes to reminisce about their relationship. "Remember when you won the teddy bear at the Christmas carnival?" "Remember when you wouldn't let me buy you cotton candy, but you kept stealing bites out of mine?" At some point, Joshua ends up on Junhui's end of the couch, resting his head on Junhui's shoulder.

It starts to rain.

 

* * *

 

Moving out is a messy affair. People come to realise that they share more things than they thought they did, and there are certain keepsakes that have sentimental value to both of them. Some stuff, they're not even sure what belongs to who. This is what happens to them.

It takes two weeks for them dancing around each other to figure out their living arrangements, and another two to pack up everything neatly in boxes. This gives Junhui a whole month to get used to the idea of his apartment being one person emptier, but it doesn't mean that he's any less emotional about it.

"Sorry I can't be around today," he lies to Joshua, who's moving the last of his boxes to his new apartment with the help of his new flatmate, Jeonghan. Jeonghan is charming and friendly, and there's no doubt he'll get along with Joshua. "I've got stuff to do today."

Joshua probably suspects that he's not telling the truth, but thankfully, he doesn't say anything about it, because their — soon to be his — apartment is chock full of memories. "No worries, Junhui," he replies, tilting his head and smiling understandingly at him.

Junhui almost wants him to stop smiling because Joshua is way too nice, and it might be one of the last times he sees him smile in the next couple months. There's a little bit of him inside that still screams 'don't go', but it was a mutual decision, their incompatibility a fact he doesn't want to recognise, and he can't take what they agreed on back anymore. "Remember to return those books, though!"

While they were cleaning out, Junhui found some books from the library that Joshua had borrowed. Though the books were long overdue, Junhui told Joshua that he'd return them after Joshua had moved out, under the pretence that they were due the day Joshua was supposed to leave, just to make an excuse to be out of the house. He'd never thought the excuse would come in handy.

"Will do," he manages to say before he blinks back a few tears. He's not the type to cry, he's had a whole month to cry about it if he'd wanted to, and now of all times in front of Joshua's new roommate really isn't the best timing. But he holds himself back and grabs the two books that are currently sitting on the mantelpiece before heading out to the library.

 

* * *

 

 Junhui returns the books to one of the librarians there, wincing the fines making a decent sized dent in his wallet. They'd been lying around at home for so long that they'd totalled to quite an impressive number. (He makes a mental note to have just make a sandwich for lunch.)

"Here's your change," chirps the librarian, sliding a crumpled bill and a couple of coins across the tabletop to Junhui. Junhui takes the money wordlessly, slipping it into his now mostly empty wallet and dipping his head in thanks.

The whole process takes shorter than he thought it would, so he decides to linger a bit in the library, looking for any little justification to stay away from home. He takes a wander around, weaving through the shelves, fingertips feather-light as they brush past the spines of books. The quiet of the library is calming, soothing, clears his head in ways home couldn't, at least not now. He even picks up a book, not quite registering

The relaxing effect lasts right up until Junhui starts sneezing.

The one really annoying thing when one starts sneezing is that one’s eyes start watering, which is similar to crying, which makes Junhui want to cry, which means _oh god why am I tearing up this is so stupid_ , and he suddenly feels so overwhelmed by the breakup, by the fact that his relationship is failing — failed, that his apartment is one person emptier, and —

 

* * *

 

By all means, Jeon Wonwoo is a good student. He's not disruptive in class, his grades are average if not good, and he's hardworking and helpful. However, like everyone else, in order to obtain said good grades, Wonwoo needs to study. And studying is what he's trying to do at the library, right up there alongside maybe finally working on that one essay he's been putting off. So far, he has a table to himself, his texts and notebooks scattered across the table.

But whatever that incessant sniffling noise behind the shelves is, it's putting him off, though he would be lying if he said it didn't worry him a little. Although he has a nerdy exterior, compassion and empathy are two traits he's proud to say he has, or he hopes that he has, along with an innate sense of curiosity.

Finally, he decides to get up and leave his wonderful, cozy spot. He tells himself that he really needs this one reference book, but part of him is secretly nosy, and the mystery sniffler piques his interest more than schoolwork does, really. He rounds the corner, unsure what to expect other than rows upon rows of classification 909 in the Dewey Decimal System.

Instead, he's greeted by a face buried in an ancient copy of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The face in said book is attached to a pair of shaking shoulders and most possibly the source of the sniffling.

Wonwoo reaches out to touch him on the shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

Or, at least, that's what he expects to come out of his mouth. What he doesn't expect is for it to turn out as "uh, you do know salt water is bad for books in the archives...?"

For the first time in the short, brief time Wonwoo has met Book-face, a small burst of adorably short laughter — more a giggle, really — interrupts the quiet sobbing. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire lowers itself to reveal a proper face. Wet lashes curl up ever so slightly, eyes red and glistening, a smattering of freckles across his cheekbones. Strands of light brown hair fall across his face, and the edge of his lips quirk upwards into a sheepish smile.

It is the cutest and handsomest and most breathtaking face Wonwoo's ever seen.

"That actually made me laugh," says Mister Handsome. His face is gentler as he giggles, again, lips quirking upwards into a smile. "Thank you. I needed that."

A light dust of blush spreads across his cheeks as a pleasant feeling bubbles up in Wonwoo's chest. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he murmurs, a matching smile on his face. "Hey, um — " he starts to say on a whim. He can already feel himself regretting it, but he's a nice person, right? "If it'll make you feel better, do you want to tell me what's wrong? I won't judge, promise."

 

* * *

 

This is how Wonwoo finds himself back at his study desk, same material sprawled across the table, still being unable to study, same incessant sniffling noise. Except the sniffling noise named Junhui — as he'd found out (along with Junhui's entire life story from his parents' divorce to his recent break-up and all sorts of other things like his personality, his values, his interests) — is now wrapped around him, and there's a heavy weight resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Junhui sighs, almost pouting. "I'm not usually like this. It's just everything's been so much."

Wonwoo can only awkwardly pat Junhui's (incredibly broad) shoulders. "It's okay," he says, though he supposes it's really not, how is he supposed to study with an extremely good looking sort-of-stranger he literally just met leaning into his side? "I don't mind."

"No, no," Junhui says, the tone of his voice changing from 'Despondent and Newly Single' to 'Determined and With Purpose'. He sits up straight from where his head was nestled between Wonwoo's shoulder and neck, eyes glittering with newfound confidence. "I'll make it up to you, someday. Can I have your number?"

In normal circumstances, Wonwoo would have reeled in shock. Junhui has recently broken up with his now ex-boyfriend, which would make Wonwoo a possible rebound, but Wonwoo gives his number to Junhui anyway.

Surprisingly, it's not a fluke, and it's not a rebound either. Junhui actually does something with the number he's obtained from Wonwoo. "Hey, wanna study together? I promise I won't cry on u this time :-)," reads a text from Junhui, precisely 2 days after they've met, which is ample time for Wonwoo to stop hoping and start moping. Wonwoo doesn't know what compels him to do so but he says yes.

Wonwoo ends up saying yes many more times. Wonwoo says yes to one study session after another. He says yes to "hey wanna grab some coffee?" and "wanna try this new restaurant on the block" and "wanna watch a movie with me". Yes to "do you want to meet my friends" and "there's a Christmas party, wanna come?" and yes to "wanna kiss me when the clock strikes twelve" .

Wonwoo says so many more of them. Junhui's alluring charm from their unorthodox meeting to everything about him, from his kindness and occasional obliviousness, makes it hard to resist him.

Especially to "do you want to date me?"

(Wonwoo says "hell yes".)

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is truly terrible and i am so very sorry. if you are unsatisfied with this it's most likely the fact that i am ten times more unsatisfied than you are about the way this fic is. regardless, when i have time, i will come back to this fic and edit it until i am at decently satisfied; also i checked all the things you wanted me to write so uh yeah
> 
> i hope you at least enjoyed it to some degree though ! ;_;


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